Pelican 1, Katherine 0

Published on Saturday, July 3, 2010 by Katherine

We are back, for better or worse.

In the seven days we were at the beach house we could only swim TWO DAYS. After these two glorious days, the wind came offshore which dropped the ocean temperature TWENTY DEGREES. Try putting anything but your toes in 53 degree water and YOWSA!

The day the water warmed up we couldn’t swim due to thunder storms. THEN when THOSE passed, the wind was so strong we had rip currents for the remaining days. Sigh.

But as I tell the children, a crappy day in the Outer Banks is a hundred times better than being at home in school or at work!

The highlights?

The dolphins, of course!
Seeing my brother and his beautiful daughters after not having seen them for a few years. Happy Face!
Eating my brother’s amazing gourmet food every night. Happy Stomach!
Nothing but time to be MOM to my children with no interruptions whatsoever. Heaven.
Sitting on the deck the last night of our stay watching the night sky with my children. Quiet talk, shooting stars, wishes and whispers. Memories to last a lifetime.
Eating brownies every other night without caring about calories. Because I was on vacation, right?
Being pretty much unplugged. It can be a good thing.
Seeing my children catch fish.
Currently pristine ocean water. I pray it will stay that way.
Laughing at two of the most amazingly sophomoric jokes I’ve ever heard, knowing I have never heard any that were funnier. And then laughing when I remembered them. And then laughing when I retold them to my kids. And then laughing at how stupid and gross the jokes are. Which made me laugh more.
Being the first in my family to be pooped on by a pelican. This is truly an honor! Did you know that pelican poop flies at you like a stream of bullets, that it is warm and smells like fish?
Baby deer, fox, osprey, a whip-or-will and many species of beautiful birds.
Watching my daughter fly kites. When was the last time you flew a kite?
I swear I finally stood up on that surfboard. I SWEAR. My kids say, “Nooooot quittteeee.” OK, so not quite. But ALMOST.
Snuggling up to my daughter at night and smelling the ocean in her hair before drifting off to sleep.

Do you have any particular memories of vacations gone by? The good OR the bad? Extra points if you have been pooped on by a pelican. I think that is worth a few weeks of free ad space, no?

Linda Medrano

Your vacations sounds magical. I can smell the sea breeze from your description! Just lovely! You just can't top being pooped on by a Pelican! I think that's a lucky omen! The cold wind off the waves can be so bracing. I'm sorry you didn't get more in the water time, but hey! It all works just fine for me!
- Katherine Murray
  
  Your comment made me think… I should google “pooped on by a pelican.” Lots of interesting things… did you know there is more of a chance of being pooped on by a pelican than being attacked by a shark? Let's see… I've been pooped on by a pelican… so does that mean I need to watch for fins the next time I swim??!?!
  - Linda Medrano
    
    We watched “Jaws” last night. Stay out of the water! Get a lotto ticket!
    - redheadranting
      
      Duh dum, duh dum, dum dum dum dum
      
      (the shark's theme for those of you who can't read music)
      - Katherine Murray
        
        I can read shark music ANY day! That cracked me up. I can see the pelican focusing in on the huge target on the beach… dum dum dum dum…. duddle a duhhhhhhhhh
Rebecca

You went to the Outer Banks?!?!!?! I am SOOOO jealous! I love the ocean. LOVE LOVE the ocean. Cold or not, I don't care. Give me it's wild waves, it's raspy salty whips of water, sand in the underwear, I don't care!!!

Sheesh, I'm such a landlubber. I grew up by a lake, and there's nary a lake anywhere here where I live.

Sounds like you had a good time. 🙂 And your Yard-a-pult idea is kinda cool. 😉
- Katherine Murray
  
  Would love for you to join us on the beach… you are my kinda gal, cold OR warm! As long as you don't yard-a-pult flies into our yard… or maybe that would be kind of cool – the kids would probably like it. 🙂
  
  I saw a little girl who was PACKED with sand in her bikini bottoms today… her mother was doing everything she could to get the sand out while keeping her little one covered. My daughter and I call those sea biscuits… the clumps you get in the crotch of your suit. One time my mom was sitting on the sand with us at the water's edge and a mole crab somehow got in her suit… she danced like I've never seen her dance!
Casey John

Wow, that sounds like a blast. I love going to the ocean! So i'm basically envious.
- Katherine Murray
  
  I went today – an unplanned trip. We went to a beach I normally don't go to – so my son could surf. I was on the “swimmer side” which was like being in a sardine can. But the minute I got in the water, I could hardly see anybody else because my daughter and I were just loving the salt water. 🙂 I would hate being away from the ocean… but of course other parts of the country have so many amazing places too!
mrsblogalot

Katherine, this sounds like a dream vacation.

I'd play a lottery ticket for sure. That has to be good luck.

You get seven numbers right?

P-16 E-5 L-12 I-9…well you get the idea (-:
- Katherine Murray
  
  Oh NO WAY! I'm going t do that TOMORROW! SERIOUSLY… gonna do it!
Mike

I had to Google the Outer Banks, cause I had no idea where it was. So…NC, right? I've been to the beach in SC where the water was super warm. I'm a total wimp when it comes to cold water, and the way you describe the cold days reminds me of the beach in Maine.
- Katherine Murray
  
  My mother's cousin lives on Long Island. Her daughter and grandkids LIVE in the water… surf all the time. I went there once and could not imagine going in that water, even in a wetsuit! Ours gets up in the 70's… which is heaven! 🙂
Lisa Griffiths

Funny how when you live someplace long enough you can't wait to get away from it. 17 years is waaaaay tooooo long. Taking the camper to Florida and parking it for good. Next destination? Haines City, FL.

Glad you had a good time on the banks.
- Katherine Murray
  
  Oh HEAVEN…. Florida! I haven't been there since I was young!!! Would love to go back and see it – I've heard so many wonderful things about it.
Kerryon25

Katherine, What a beautiful vacation…and Pelican poop to top if off! Love the brownies every night…its awesome how food has no calories when we're on vacation isn't it? Congats on standing up on that surf board (I believe you…a mom' stand up point is relative to her children's.) Your family sounds like they're all as much fun as you are. Glad you had such a great time. Here's to that Pelican picking you (that has to have special meaning or something doesn't it?) Kerry
- Katherine Murray
  
  Kerry…. you MADE my day with “.a mom's stand up point is relative to her children's.” – I have to remember that… memorize it and call it out the minute I make it up to the surface of the water LOL! I'll fall off, swim up and scream that out. LOVE you! 🙂
  
  I have officially decided being pooped on by a pelican is a HUGE family honor. I think i will start to brag every time they fly by… picture me turning to my mom or kids, “Yea, pretty. But have YOU been pooped on by one?!”
Anne

I am so glad you had such an amazing trip! You definitely deserved it. Congrats on the pelican poop?!?
- Katherine Murray
  
  Ha ha! It was so funny… I never get to just “chill” at the beach. But my brother and one of his daughters went for a walk so I put down my towel to get some sun on my back… again something I NEVER do. All of the sudden I felt what I thought was wet sand being thrown at me, I assumed by one of the kids… I looked up only to see pelicans flying overhead and to smell… well, fish LOL!
Nicky

Sure, your vacation sounds heavenly if you like the ocean and dolphins and fishing and spending time with your family and gazing at stars and cuddling and laughing and eating magical brownies that have no calories. But really, how many people like those things? (Ok, everybody likes those things and so do I and I'm jealous so can I come too next time? Please? Please?)
- Katherine Murray
  
  Actually how fun would it be for a bunch of us to get together and meet at the beach house for a blogger kinda weekend. Forget all those conferences… we could make our own! I think Jen would be the entertainment… you could bring the cheese…. I could go down a list ha ha! In a perfect world, right? The internet is sketchy down there so it would be a kind of eat/drink/beach weekend unplugged – which we could probably all use. But today I am back to reality… off to work in a few – so I am paying my dues again!!
  - redheadranting
    
    I'm in!
    - Nicky
      
      Me too! What a lovely idea! You know, I've been thinking of suggesting a Tribal Blogs “conference” ever since Margaret @ nannygoats wrote about the conference she will be attending (Blogher, I think)…
      - Katherine Murray
        
        That would be SO AWESOME. But we all have to click on everyone's…. ummm… those boxes that make money, so we can afford it LOL! I say we all meet at Jen's house – I want to meet her dog too.
        
        I wish I could go to Blogher… the stories that come back from it are hysterical. But I'm not quite there yet. One day!
        
        Tribal Blogs Conference… are you picturing us wearing face paint and dancing around a fire?
      - Nicky
        
        *click*
        *click*
        *click*
        
        I'm getting my face paint ready… 🙂
      - redheadranting
        
        I'm all for it, we could BBQ in my back yard, by then I should have moved
        the couch and rug.
nycgirl0501

What wonderful memories…well except for the pelican! 🙂 I'm glad you had such a good time. Hold on to that feeling for as long as you can!
- Katherine Murray
  
  I was especially trying to hold on to that feeling when I was doing all my exercising yesterday… a week of brownies and cocktails does NOT equal a Jillian Michaels lifestyle LOL!
redheadranting

I'm still thinking about pelican poop. That kinda stopped me in my tracks.
- Katherine Murray
  
  And seriously… it really smells like FISH!
Joecap3

It sounds to me like you had a GREAT time.
Pelicans are nasty…you don't want them to get mad at you, trust me.
- Katherine Murray
  
  Really? Are they like geese? I can picture them snapping at you with the big beak. I hear a really good hidden story in this!